When This is Over
by BigEyesBigSmile
Summary: It just sort of happened... Marinette stopped crushing obsessively over Adrien and Chat Noir finally got over Ladybug... Only for Ladybug to start crushing even worse on Chat Noir... and Adrien to fall head over heels for Marinette. Only these two dense idiots could manage to flip an already complicated love square over and inside out. (Reverse Crush A.U.) (One-shot)


It was like that one moment… three, four years back. When he stared at her with his deep green eyes, tilted his head slightly, and held the umbrella, a little nervously, waiting for her to take it, her heart began to skip a beat. All of a sudden, her emotions went hay-wire and the next thing she knew, she couldn't control her speech. She was so helplessly, irrevocably, and completely in love with him; it was crazy.

She did try to rationalize and stop her wild heart. She barely knew him. He could have been lying to her. He could be secretly after something. (What, her mom and dad would never tell her until a few years later) But despite her best attempts, she was in too deep almost immediately. And for three years her heart had coveted the flame burning inside of it. Shielded it from any storm of doubt, defended it from any new attractions, and kept it burning. And then one day… as quick as it had come… it died.

She woke up one morning, looked at her pictures of him all over her walls and the immediate fluttering in her chest which she expected to appear… didn't. It was strange, not thinking about him every second of the day. Desperately hoping and praying that she would be able to get a sentence to form properly when talking with him became a thing of the past. When he attempted to talk with her in school, she stayed and chatted with him like it was nothing.

It was… nice… in a way. But also confusing; how had it just fizzled out? She cried in the bathroom for a good twenty minutes feeling guilty and wasteful. Was love really like this? Could it just disappear? All the time she spent trying so hard had gone to waste. Nothing had come of it. It was a soul-crushing thought.

Finally, she had pulled herself together. Trying to make the best of it, she continued to converse with him. And then, in the evening, the answer to her question had struck her.

* * *

Ladybug swung her yoyo and used the momentum to pull herself up to the top of the Eiffel tower. Once her feet landed on the metal, she steadied herself. She spotted her partner who sat opposite of her. She caught the slight jerk of his elbow and the slow but shaky inhalation. He turned to her with an obviously forced smile and gave a little wave; a small tear still at the corner of his eye.

"Good evening milady," His faked happiness started to crumble almost instantly.

Ladybug didn't waste any time. She was quickly sitting down beside him and letting him rest his head on her lap. It was a comfortable position that they both had gotten used to over the years.

"You don't have to hide anything from me chaton." She began. "We've been best friends for years; I can tell when you're upset."

"And I can tell that you are also upset." He mumbled.

She sighed. "Yes, I suppose you're right… what gave me away?"

"Your shoulders are more hunched than usual and your hands are curled into fists. You are also almost always the first to say hello…" He responded.

"I guess I'll have to work on that," Ladybug replied, shaking her head.

"Ah, but just like you said, we've been best friends for years. You can't hide anything from me, just like I can't with you." Chat turned so he could look her in the eye.

"What's wrong kitty?" Ladybug began running her fingers through his hair.

"Ladies first"

"Very funny"

Chat exhaled before starting, "My father. You know he's always been after me to take up the company, or at least stay in it. But lately, he's been really pushing, especially now that I'm going to graduate from high school soon. Every time I try to tell him that I want to be different, do something else, he always shuts me down…"

"And tonight?" Ladybug questioned tentatively.

"And tonight we got into a really heated argument because I refused to bow my head this time. Things were said that I wish I could take back and… he basically disowned me."

"Oh kitty…" She scratched behind his ear.

"I don't know what to do. I'm finally out of my father's thumb… but not in the way I wanted to. All I ever wanted was his acceptance, his love; any encouragement, anything! He never-"His voice broke.

"He never did… And I just can't help but think that this is my fault somehow."

Chat Noir felt a thump on his nose. He frowned and opened his mouth but was cut off by Ladybug. "Stupid cat, this is not your fault! And don't you ever think that! Your father is the one at fault here, not you. You've done everything for him. And if that's not good enough for him then nothing ever will be… I know it hurts kitty… but sometimes you have to stop watering a dead plant."

As she said those words, she felt a small pang in her heart.

"Sounds like you're speaking from experience." Chat said softly.

"Yeah, I guess so." Ladybug answered.

"… I'm waiting…"

"So you know one of the reasons, actually, the reason I've constantly been rejecting you all these years has to do with this guy I've had a crush on since… ugh… I was fourteen?"

"How could I forget?" Chat grumbled.

"Well… I woke up yesterday and… nothing." Ladybug said dejectedly.

"What do you mean nothing?" Chat asked.

"I feel nothing. It's as if it was never there in the first place. I see his face and my heart just keeps on going. It happened so suddenly and I feel like I did something wrong. Is it so normal to fall out of love, just like that?" Ladybug said.

"I don't know. For the past four years, you've been the only one I've thought about." Chat shrugged.

"I feel like I'm betraying him somehow. I've devoted so much effort into loving him and now it's all gone. Was it even real in the first place? I'm just… so confused…" Ladybug admitted.

"You shouldn't feel to guilty, my lady. You were never in a relationship with him and-"

"But it felt so real! I really…" Ladybug paused, wiping away a tear. "I really loved him at one point."

Chat sat up and wrapped his arms around Ladybug. "It's okay. Sometimes, things happen. And you can't explain them. But we don't always need the answers."

"Thanks Chat."

As she sat there, she couldn't help but feel at home in his arms. He smelled funnily, like expensive cologne and stinky cheese, and his messy blond hair tickled her neck. Memories began playing in her mind. All the times he had held her. Told her it was going to be okay. Laughed and goofed off just to make her smile; they were her best memories.

Her heart skipped a beat.

* * *

"Girlfriend, what is going on?" Alya demanded as she put her hand on her hip.

Marinette just squeaked in her school seat and tried to slide underneath the table to hide from her friend's domineering stare.

"I-I-I don't know-w what you're talking a-a-bout."

"You and Adrien; for the past two weeks you've been talking. Actually talking… in coherent sentences. What's happening? Did you finally confess?"

"Uhh actually… it's kind of like… I don't… like him anymore?" Marinette managed to say.

Alya's jaw dropped. "What? What do you mean you don't like him?" She practically screamed in front of the entire class.

"Shush Alya!" Marinette pleaded. "Don't announce it to the whole class!"

"What do you want me to do? Act like everything is fine? Are you alright? Did you hit your head? Are you sick? How many fingers am I holding up?" Alya stuck her hand in front of Marinette's face.

Swatting it away, Marinette replied, "I'm fine, Alya."

"But you- you- you don't like him anymore? Are you sure? I mean, that's practically one of the rules here in school. Don't run in the halls, skirts below knees, and Marinette is head over heels for Adrien; what happened? … Did he reject you?"

"No, no, no," Marinette interjected. "Nothing like that! I haven't even confessed or anything."

Alya sat beside her best friend. "Then what happened?"

"I don't know. I just kind of woke up one day and then… nothing." Marinette "It just sort of happened… just like when I first started crushing on him. I'm fine, honest. I'm just kind of disappointed in myself."

"Hey, don't feel too bad, okay girl?" Alya patted her on the back. "And to recover from your… one-sided break up, let's go to your house after school and bake a ton of desserts and eat them all."

"You just want an excuse to eat some more macrons don't you?" Marinette raised an eyebrow.

Alya smirked, "You know me so well."

* * *

"Can you just fall out of love Plagg?" Adrien asked absentmindedly.

"Don't ask me stupid questions kid!" Plagg snapped, swatting Adrien's hair with his tiny paw. "The only thing that can truly be understood and worshiped in this world is cheese! Not wishy washy, shaky feelings!"

"But what if I wake up one day and see my lady and feel absolutely nothing?"

"Beats me, Adrien," The kwami answered absolutely unconcerned.

"And she was talking about feeling the same thing too… do you think our minds are connected somehow? Like, whatever she feels, I feel it too?"

"Kid," Plagg deadpanned, "You're Ladybug and Chat Noir… the magical representation of Yin and Yang. The most powerful wielders of the Miraculous to this day; although the magic solely focused in your miraculous, it affects you too. Old, strong magic…"

"So?" Adrien pressed.

"Do you think I understand any of this?!" Plagg yelled at Adrien. "Just shut up and stop moping!

Adrien deflated as he turned and flopped himself on his bed.

"But it's so strange Plagg! Ever since I first saw her, I was just… enamored with her. She was beautiful, no, more than beautiful! I couldn't stop thinking about her. And every time I saw her, I wanted to make her laugh. I wanted her to like me… She was the center of my existence. But now… I see her face. I look at the hundreds of photos I have of her and I'm kind of… weirded out.

It's like I just realized I've been a stalker for the past four years of my life. The spark that was once in my heart is gone and I have no idea where it went. What do I do?"

Plagg sighed, "I already told you kid, I don't get wishy washy feelings. The closest thing I have to compare to is the… wholeness I feel when I'm with Tikki."

"Tikki?" Adrien asked.

"Yeah, Ladybug's kwami, but that's beside the point." Plagg waved his paw to shush the inquisitive teen. "And sometimes, I don't notice it. It disappears, a lot of times when I'm preoccupied. But it always comes back."

"But is it love?" Adrien questioned.

Plagg flew over and smacked him. "No you idiot! I just told you, that's not how kwamies feel! It's more of a platonic affection. A friendship that spans millennia."

Adrien sighed. "I guess I understand. Even though I'm not in love with her anymore, she's still my best friend. She knows me better than any other friend I've ever had, which granted, is not a lot.

Plagg rubbed the back of his neck. "Look Kid, I've had a lot of Chat Noirs of the years and I've given some of them some pretty terrible advice. But I think you're smarter than that and you don't need an a thousand year old kwami to tell you what to do."

"I think…" Adrien started, "That I should move on. I mean, my lady has never shown any reciprocation and it's been four years. Maybe the magic is telling me I need to get over her…" Adrien closed his eyes.

The long day had finally gotten to him and he drifted off to sleep. Plagg checked to make sure that he was sleeping before he started giggling.

"Lots of Chat Noirs over the years and every one of them is the same." Plagg chortled. "You're on the right track with thinking the magic is getting tired of you always fumbling around. Now… things are going to switch…"

* * *

Adrien wasn't trying to be weird. He was doing his best not to stare at the girl in front of him. But despite giving his best efforts, he couldn't help but gaze at his classmate.

Marinette's hair was down.

It was down! In the past three years of his life, Adrien could count on one hand the amount of times Marinette had worn her hair down. And he wasn't quite sure why it was mesmerizing him this much now. The soft, deep blue locks looked very inviting. Adrien had to physically withhold himself from reaching across and running his hand through Marinette's hair.

Adrien shook his head and looked down at his notebook which he should, at this moment, be filling. But he wasn't really paying attention anymore. He looked at Marinette again. To his horror, she chose that exact moment to turn her head back towards him. Their eyes met and Adrien could feel a slight warmth crawling up his cheeks.

Marinette, innocent as ever, just smiled and waved.

In Adrien vision, the wind blew through the classroom, catching her unbound hair slightly. Her baby blue eyes sparkled with kindness, and her lips were pink and glossy. It was perfection.

Adrien had seen many pretty women. Being in the modeling business meant he hung around beautiful people every day. However, in that moment, Marinette's fair appearance eclipsed everything.

"Do you have an eraser?" Her lilting voice questioned.

Adrien's mouth opened and before he knew what he was saying, "Sorry, I threw mine away because I didn't want to risk erasing the mark you left on my heart."

Marinette blinked.

In his head, the game over music from ultimate mecha strike 4 played. It was in that moment he knew… he had messed up. For the past two weeks, he and Marinette had begun a tentative friendship and now, he'd ruined it. Adrien waited for the anger, the disgust, the utmost loathing to appear on Marinette's face.

Instead, Marinette giggled. She giggled!

Her small hand snatched the eraser that was sitting innocently on his desk and she snorted, "You wish silly boy," before turning around to listen to the lecture.

It took a few seconds before the most Chat like grin spread across Adrien's face. If anyone had looked directly at the blonde teen, they would have instantly pegged him for Paris's superhero.

* * *

Ladybug swung effortlessly to the building opposite to her, rolling and skidding to a halt. Her blue eyes surveyed the streets of Paris after dark. There was a shift to her right, as her partner, blending in perfectly with the darkness, vaulted to her side. Normally, he would crack a pun, give a flirtatious remark, or a very bad joke, she would berate him, or poke him, or smack him, and then they would move on. But when Chat landed beside her, Ladybug felt her body freeze up and her mind go empty.

Unfortunately, she knew the feeling.

"The stars cannot compare to you beauty milady," Chat said with perfect ease.

All Ladybug could think was, _"he's calling me beautiful. Why is he calling me beautiful? Is it an act? Has it always been? Now that I'm not crushing on Adrien anymore, does this mean I've fallen in love with Chat? How am I supposed to act around Chat now? He constantly flirts with me and I'm just going to be a ball of frazzled nerves! … I'm going to fail Paris as a superhero! One day Chat is going to say something so sweet, my heart will stop and if we're battling an __Akuma__, then I'm going to die and Hawkmoth will get the miraculous and Paris will fall."_

With a frantic squeak, Ladybug practically flew from the building top and far away from Chat. Surprised by her quick escape, Chat blinked.

What was up with her?"

* * *

A week… somehow, a whole week had gone by without Chat having one decent conversation with Ladybug.

_"Was it something I said? Something I did? Did I not shower? Do I smell of camembert? Oh god I smell of stinky cheese!" _Chat thought.

Every time he tried to speak with his lady, she upped and ran away like he was the plague. And every time they tried to have a serious conversation, Ladybug would stutter and turn horrible red. Chat assumed that maybe she was sick or something. But this went on for a full week.

Although a week might not seem like much for some friends, Ladybug was Chat's best friend whom he conversed with regularly. Without the daily interaction that usually bolstered his spirits and put him in a good mood, Chat was going insane. And it wasn't like he hadn't already tried to confront her about it either. They were really the best of friends and he knew something was bothering her but she just wouldn't tell him.

It was strange.

Ladybug used to tell him everything. Chat used to pride himself on being Ladybug's number one confidant and now he could barely get a word from the flustered spotted hero. The wind blew and ruffled his hair.

Chat missed the way Ladybug used to do that.

Tonight, they had patrol. And Chat was not going to let Ladybug escape. He would chase her down if he had to! He needed to know what was up. And as they all say… curiosity killed the cat.

He waited… and waited… and to his dismay… Ladybug didn't show up.

He pulled out his baton phone and dialed her number only to come up with an unreachable sign. Never in all of his life had Chat felt so angry at a phone.

He really couldn't take this much longer.

* * *

Marinette was in the library groaning.

She was the worst partner ever. For a whole week she had barely been able to say more than a sentence to Chat and then last night she had totally forgotten about patrol! He hated her. He had to. Marinette's head was against the table and a quiet thud noise was piercing the silence of the library. Her little tantrum did not go unnoticed.

Adrien yawned as he was flipping through a few books he had picked off the shelves for a research paper he was working on. As he turned, he noticed the familiar blue haired girl hitting her head against the library table. Working up the nerve, Adrien swiftly grabbed a few more books so he looked like he was legitimately there to study, smoothed back his hair, and started walking towards Marinette. He stood beside her and coughed,

"Hey…"

Marinette didn't notice him. She still hit her head against the table.

"Are you okay?" Adrien leaned against a pillar trying to look… cool.

He still went unseen by the slightly masochistic bluenette. Adrien tried coughing again but ended up choking. He dropped his books and the sudden noise finally broke Marinette out of her venting.

"Oh my god Adrien, are you alright?" Marinette was oblivious to her very red forehead as he helped Adrien off the floor and picked up the fallen books.

"I'm fine." He wheezed trying to regain his breath back.

Somewhere from among the books, Adrien swore he heard Plagg laughing his furry little face off. Adrien reddened and tried in vain to collect himself.

"I'm perfectly peachy!" He announced before inwardly wincing.

Marinette tilted her head. "You look a bit flushed. Do you have a fever?" She placed her hand on his forehead and Adrien felt his face grow even warmer.

"No, I'm absolutely fine. Nothing wrong here! I'm not sick or anything." Adrien smiled while inwardly dying.

"…Okay… but tell me if you need anything."

"Shhhhhhh!" The librarian hushed the two teenagers.

Adrien collected his books and Marinette sat back down remembering why she had come to the library in the first place. She also had a paper to write.

"Do you need any help?" Adrien asked nervously.

"To be honest, I would be really happy if you could give me some assistance." Marinette answered with a small smile that made Adrien's heart skip a beat. "Science has never been my forte."

"Well _lucky_ for you, I know this topic pretty well." Adrien replied.

"You have no idea." Marinette muttered under her breath.

"What was that?" Adrien questioned not quite catching her words.

"Nothing!" Marinette piped up. "Let's do this paper!"

After thirty minutes of going over the deep recesses of chemistry that the author will not go into because she too sucks at science, Marinette leaned back into her chair and sighed.

"I will never be proficient in science speak."

"It just takes a bit of getting used to." Adrien spoke.

There was a small moment of silence before Adrien inquired about her still red forehead, "If you don't mind me asking, why were you smacking your head against the table earlier."

Marinette grimaced. "No, I don't mine… it's complicated."

"I've been told I'm a good listener." Adrien shrugged, wanting to know more about the girl he had come to crush on… really hard.

Marinette exhaled slowly. "… It's about a guy… whom I like…"

That's when Adrien felt the familiar stinging pain of heart break. However, he was so accustomed to it; he managed to brush past it. After years of never being good enough for Ladybug, he was used to the feeling.

"What happened?" Adrien stated a little more serious.

"Nothing happened!" Marinette suddenly exclaimed. "He hasn't done anything to me and we've been best friend for years and out of nowhere my stupid heart decided that he was the guy I liked now and I haven't been able to say a word to him for a whole week and I know he hates me because we were so close and he probably feels like I absolutely betrayed him and oh my god I betrayed him. He hates me now. I know he does!" Marinette whined and started hitting her head against the table… again.

Adrien was a bit taken aback by her declaration…s. "So you've been best friends for years…" Adrien started and Marinette nodded. "And now you like him… so you're unable to speak with him?"

Marinette groaned, "It's not that I don't want to speak with him… it's that I can't! And this happened with my last crush too! "Marinette looked him in the eye. "I can't form a single coherent sentence without stuttering or the whole thing blowing up in my face."

"Well… just remember that he's your best friend." Adrien supplied.

"What do you mean?" Marinette looked a bit confused.

"In the end, crush or not, he's still your best friend who loves and respects you and who has stood by your side for years. That has not, and probably won't ever change, whether you have a crush on him or not."

"… I guess… but what if I tell him and he's horrified! I mean, for the last couple of years I think… I think he's liked me but I'm just not sure! What if he thinks it was all a joke and doesn't think of me in that way at all?" Marinette pulled on the ribbons of her pigtails.

"He'll like you." Adrien couldn't keep his mouth shut. "He'd be a fool not to fall in love with you."

Marinette reddened and she looked at her hands in her lap. "You think so?"

"You're amazing Marinette. And if he can't see that, then I'll beat some sense into him." Adrien grinned holding a fist up.

Marinette started laughing. "I don't think you'd be able to hold a candle to him Adrien. He's a very proficient fighter."

"I'm a very good fencer." Adrien countered.

"So is he." Marinette smirked.

"I'd win." Adrien pouted slightly.

"You could try." Marinette laughed.

They both chuckled for a moment. It was then that Adrien's curiosity got the better of him.

"Who was your last crush?" Adrien questioned.

Marinette wasn't looking at him anymore, her face completely crimson. Barely audible, she said, "… you…"

But Adrien managed to hear it. He went pale and Marinette immediately started rambling.

"But I'm not crushing on you now if that's what you're afraid of. I'm totally over you! I don't like you like that anymore. I've moved on and I've gotten rid of all the posters and your schedule and I've stopped acting so jealous and…" She kept going on and every sentence felt like stab to the heart.

Adrien rose from his seat and started walking away, his brain completely fried. He couldn't think straight anymore and although Marinette tried to reach him, he remained unresponsive.

After he left, Marinette went back to hitting her head against the table.

* * *

Ladybug was crying on the Eiffel tower. It wasn't the first time Chat had found her like this, nor would it be the last. Quietly, Chat seated himself beside her and instinctively, Ladybug snuggled close against him, leaning her head on his shoulder. He let her continue crying until she spoke with him.

"I've messed up everything chaton." She hiccuped.

"No you haven't my lady." Chat was quick to combat her self-deprecating thoughts.

"You hate me."

"No I don't." Chat refuted.

"Yes you do."

"No I don't."

"Yes."

"No."

"Yes."

"No, infinity and beyond whatever you say." Chat stated childishly.

This earned him a weak punch on the shoulder from his lady. "I haven't spoken with you properly for a whole week and a half… and I missed patrols… and I'm a mess." She sobbed.

"I could never hate you." Chat comforted her.

"I almost wish you would." Ladybug sniffled.

"Nope, never could." Chat wrapped his arm around her and they watched the city for a while in soothing silence.

"What happened?" Chat asked.

"I screwed everything up." Ladybug answered.

When she didn't continue, Chat decided to fill in the silence. "So I got rejected yesterday."

Ladybug looked at him with her wide blue eyes… yup, Chat definitely had a type. "Who on earth would reject you?" Ladybug was appalled.

"This girl in my class… about three weeks ago we started _chatting,_" Ladybug rolled her eyes, "And I… I started crushing on her… really hard I guess."

Ladybug felt a few more tears slip out of her eyes. This was her fault. Because she ignored Chat for so many years, he had finally moved on from her. However, Ladybug was determined to be happy for Chat so she wiped the offending droplets away.

"But alas, it could not be!" Chat proclaimed dramatically. "She apparently likes her best friend. The worst part about it was that she used to have a crush on me! But now, in her words, she's totally over me, has completely moved on, doesn't like me like that at all… amongst other stuff. So in the end… I blew it."

The words almost struck a chord with Ladybug… key word being _almost_.

She tried to laugh through her hiccups. "At least that's better than me. I ghosted you for nearly two weeks and I ruined a friendship as well."

Chat looked at her, his eyes practically telling her to continue.

"I got… caught up in a lot of stuff and… no… that's not it." Ladybug steadied herself and inhaled. "Truth is… I-"

Shouting, sirens, and explosions distracted our superheroes. Immediately, they both swung into action and unfortunately, Ladybug was unable to confess to Chat there. Many years would pass before they would both realize that they-_Screw this! I have waited too long for a proper confession! Four years! Four years! These two idiots are so dense, I shudder what their children would be like when it comes to romance!_

As Ladybug leaped from the tower, she shouted, "I love you Chat!"

This effectively caused Chat to lose his balance and he ended up crashing into a building and falling to the ground where he laid there in a dazed state for a good ten minutes all while Ladybug was hyperventilating.

"Are you okay? Are you okay? _Oh my god_! I killed you! I just killed you! Now instead of being Paris' super heroine, I'm going to go down in history as a murderer! I'll have to give up being Ladybug and run away somewhere where no one will recognize me and Paris will fall because there will be no more Ladybug!"

As he managed to pull himself from the asphalt, he wheezed,

"We have a lot of talking to do when this is over."

**A.N.**

**I swear the next chapter of Good Luck will be posted soon... I promise guys. Please don't kill me.**


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